Voice
by Jinseinomizu
Summary: Whose voice is the most poignant?
1. Friendship

Voice

"Raven?" The boy rolled over, groaning. Cold light struck his face from the left, stinging his eyes. Squinting, he rolled further, searching for something, anything that would give him a reference as to where he was. However, the surface that he was lying on was finite, as he soon found out- to his extreme displeasure. He rolled off of the edge, landing with a thump and a _whoosh_ of blankets. "Dang it…." He moaned again, rubbing his foggy head.

"Good morning, Robin," a female voice said from the far side of the room. Even in his confused state, he could hear her voice sharper and clearer than anything around. However, there was another sound he could hear- _click, click, click, tap, click, click._

He ran a bare hand through his untidy mess of black hair, searching around for his mask with one eye. It happened to be lodged between the cushions of the couch, and after slipping it over his face, he stretched his legs out. It had been a long night of researching and recalibrating, so he'd abandoned his tights and red shirt for pajama pants and a white shirt with a familiar black bat emblazoned on it. Bruce hadn't liked it when Robin stole his shirts, but they were just _so comfortable. _

"What time is it?" He murmured, licking his dry lips. He glanced at Raven. Her normally pristine hair was slightly frazzled as she typed quickly on the clacking keyboard. Raven, too, had switched from her normal dress to a pair of black lounge pants and a lighter blue shirt. When Robin told her she looked like a puddle, she'd only chosen to give him a look that both chilled him and made him smile. At least she was comfortable, and she still looked good, despite being stressed. Robin stood and walked toward her, still trying to fix his black mop. It was hanging all around his head at this point instead of being stiff like it usually was.

"A little past five." The girl turned to face him, her pale lids drooping over her dark blue eyes. "You fell asleep at midnight. Four hours of sleep isn't bad."

"I feel bad for letting you do all that." He indicated the massive amount of encoding displayed on the computer monitor. However confusing and intricate, it needed to be done exactly right; this was the system that protected the tower from invaders.

She nodded and flicked her hair back. The red gem between her eyes glittered. "It's alright. You did most of the hard work; I just expanded on it." She stood and stretched, her long pale arms extending above her head. _Can she actually tan?_ "Do you want something to eat?" She offered abruptly.

"I'll make something. After we eat, you should try to sleep." He grinned and walked over to their little kitchen. Even after Cyborg had cleaned it yesterday afternoon there was still mustard smeared across the counter (courtesy of Starfire) and the microwave smelled like tofu (courtesy of Beastboy). The refrigerator light flickered on as he opened the door, illuminating the bare shelving. _Dang it, Beastboy. That means I'll have to either go shopping or send Raven with Starfire._ He shuddered as he remembered the last time Star had gone shopping by herself. Even Beastboy couldn't tell what half of the things she brought back were.

"How does oatmeal and tea sound?" He called softly for fear of waking the other Titans. Raven gave him a slight smile- he was right. These days, he figured that he knew exactly what Raven liked to eat, which was hard to predict. Pulling the oats and tea from the pantry and two pots from the cupboard, he set to work. He prided himself on his cooking skills, especially since he was the only one of the Titans who could cook normal food.

"Thanks, Robin." Raven glanced up at him over a bowl of steaming oatmeal before lifting a spoon. He met her gaze, tilted his head, and smiled.

"You're welcome." Somehow, those two words seemed to create a telekinetic link between them, and they both began to eat, knowing the other's thoughts. _Raven probably can actually read my thoughts, though._ Robin lifted his huge mug and took a swallow of white tea, his favorite. The heat stung his tongue, but it felt deliciously warm in his belly.

"Robin?" Raven dropped her spoon into her bowl, wiping her mouth with a spare napkin from dinner. He brought his head up, focusing in on her dark eyes. He could tell that there was something bothering her. "What do you think when you hear my voice?"

He thought. _That's a weird question. Pretty out of the blue, too. _"Your voice?" He pondered. "Well, I think that it's the voice of my best friend, and a voice of reason among a bunch of crazy teenagers." She seemed to be waiting, so he said a little more of what he truly thought. "I think that it's a beautiful voice- a voice that has gone through a lot of hell and withstood, leaving me with a great friend."

She raised her eyebrows. "Very poetic." She traced the edge of her cup with her forefinger, seeming uneasy. This wasn't her normal, content silence; it had become a wishful, pondering silence.

"What's up, Raven?" Robin put his cup down and reached out to touch her arm. She raised her eyes to his once more, seeming to draw support form his mask-covered eyes. _What does she think of me? I feel like I hide from her, even though she's my best friend._ "You can talk."

Raven took a deep breath through her nose, and then spoke slowly. "I feel too… dark. Like the black is coming out of me through my eyes and through my voice."

_She's thinking of this afternoon._ The previous afternoon, Raven had snapped at Beastboy. It wasn't outside the normal, but in this case, she'd made him cry. Robin recalled the situation. Beastboy had been gallivanting, as usual, and had stepped on the edge of Raven's cloak as she meditated on the roof. She'd fallen from where she was floating in the air and whacked her head on the ground, making a sickening crack on the roof. Robin, of course, had rushed over in worry to see if anything was wrong, and Starfire had flitted after him. Raven was fine- she had padded her head with a shield of black magic, but Beastboy was directly in the line of fire.

_"You rat!_" She'd been livid, her normally pale face lit with red blush. Her eyes, shrouded in black beneath her hood, had been glowing whiter than they did in battle. _"You shouldn't even be one of us- you don't deserve it! All you ever do is crush one of us under your weight, and we have to support you!"_ Barrels and crates had been floating, swirling around Beastboy, waiting to strike. By this time, the green boy had been huddled on the ground, watching Raven with frightened eyes.

_"Raven!" _Robin had seized her shoulders then, ripping off her hood, and the barrels and crates had dropped. Giving him an irate look, Raven had yanked her hood back up and stormed back in to the tower. Silence ensued, and Beastboy began to sob.

Now she was sorry. Not typical Raven.

"It's alright, Raven. Everyone gets mad." Robin smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. "Beastboy was fine by dinner- he ate more than the rest of us."

Raven didn't reply. He could tell she was brooding, and he wished he had a better response. "I hope I didn't ruin our friendship," she said quietly. Robin's jaw dropped- Raven usually hated Beastboy's guts.

Robin closed his fingers around her arm and gave her a reassuring smile. "When did you ever know Beastboy to hold a grudge?"

"When has Beastboy ever cried?" Raven's eyes were large and remorseful. _What's wrong…?_

"Did something specific happen, Raven? Why are you so sensitive to your and Beastboy's relationship all of a sudden?" Robin's masked eyes were caring and gentle.

Raven didn't answer. He could tell that she was fighting with herself, the way that she chewed on her upper lip. Ever since their venture to Tokyo, Raven had been doing that whenever he asked her to reveal something personal. It bothered him- she never used to. "You can talk to me, Raven. I know that Beastboy is obnoxious."

Raven looked away, back toward the computer screen. "I just don't want him to remember me as a jerk," she said quietly.

"You're scaring me, Raven." Robin stood, his food forgotten, and rounded the table to kneel by her chair, the only way to really get into her boundaries without insulting her. "The last time you did this 'maintaining relationships' thing, you died and I had to chase you into a volcano."

She smiled wryly, and then looked him in the eye. Her eyes were full of tears. "I'm dying, Robin."


	2. A Promise Broken

.Chapter 2.

"What?" Robin so shocked that he released his grip on Raven's arm, letting his hand drop to his raised knee. _"Dying?"_ His brain ceased to function, those three horrible words ringing in his ears. _I'm dying, Robin._

A tear leaked from Raven's eye, making a wet trail down her pale face. "I found out three days ago. Without a connection to Trigon, I'm not supposed to exist."

Robin's jaw was slack, unable to move. He gazed at Raven with unbelieving eyes, taking in her appearance. Her short hair clung to her face, and her tears traced the lines of her oval face. Her deep, interminable blue eyes gazed straight into his, communicating her pain to her best friend. After nearly a full minute of simply looking at her, he managed to choke, "How long?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice muffled by her tears. "Two or three months at the most."

_I should be comforting her, _he thought distantly, trying to convince himself to be the man and the friend that he thought he was. Instead, anger and injustice filled him. "Why?"

"I don't know," she said, unable to stop the tears now. Robin felt them himself, a cold rain that flowed through them both. "I don't know anything. It was a dream that told me, but I know it's true."

He didn't dare doubt her.

He stood and began to pace, his pajama pants swishing around his toned legs. "There has to be a way out," he vented, his fists clenched. _Why Raven? Hasn't she already gone through enough? Why can't she just be left here with us? With me?_

Poignant memories of their time together began to flash before the teen's eyes, wetting the edges of his mask with the tears that a man should never cry. _Raven on the roof, her eyes glowing in the sunrise… the birthday party… holding her as we fell inside the earth… her smile as she knew she was free… snapping at Cyborg and Beastboy… dressing up in my clothes when I was gone… her voice inside my mind… _It was all too much to bear. "There has to be a way!"

"Robin," Raven murmured, her hands clenched in her lap. He whirled to face her, rubbing his forehead. Her voice was cracked and hesitant. "There's no way. Not this time. We can't make a way this time."

"Why you?" She didn't answer, and he sank to the floor.

"Robin? Friend Raven?" A familiar female voice called from down the corridor. Robin could immediately sense Raven's tension- her barrier was going up. The tears dried from their eyes simultaneously, and Robin stood, trying to look a little less shell-shocked.

"Starfire? Why're you up?" Robin called softly as the tall girl appeared, her flat stomach poking out from underneath her half-length purple shirt. She looked worried, her perfect red hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. She approached Robin- they'd been in an open relationship since their adventures to Tokyo. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I heard you from my room and wondered if there was something wrong that I could help with." She looked over at Raven. Even though she had been weeping uncontrollably seconds ago, no one would be able to tell- her pale face was untouched by blush, and her eyes were perfectly white and crisp. Robin admired her for that; beneath his mask, he could feel the hot, wet tears still bubbling in his eyes.

"It's nothing, Starfire," he said reassuringly, touching her hand. "Raven and I had a disagreement, and I got a little fired up. You should sleep some more; it's only five in the morning."

"Are you sure you are alright?" Her emerald green eyes locked with his, searching the vast white that covered his eyes.

"I'm fine." _Not exactly the truth._

"Alright." Starfire smiled, waved at Raven, and then retreated back down the hallway to her room. As soon as her footsteps faded, Robin returned his gaze to the small girl seated at the table, her dark hair hanging in front of her eyes.

"Raven…" He began, approaching her, but she cut him off.

"I'm going to get some sleep. You should keep working on the coding." Starfire had erected a wall between them, and he knew he couldn't break it down for awhile. Rarely did Raven expose herself like she just had, and he knew he wouldn't hear her heart again tonight.

"Alright." He turned and moved to the computer chair. The cold LED light filled his eyes, shifting his brain to the numbers and logarithms on the screen before him. Before he knew it, the screen read five forty-five, and his legs were asleep. Pressing one last key, he sighed. _At least the coding is done by now. All that's left to do is try it in the morning. _Shoving himself out of the chair and away from the keyboard, Raven's news sunk down over him like a black cloud again. Anger and sorrow filled him once more, and he rotated his head to where Raven was curled on the couch, her face pressed to the back of it. Once he saw that her back was moving in a steady breathing pattern of sleep, he slipped his mask off, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Sometimes, he wished that he could just give up the mask, but there was too much to hide. Too much to reveal.

Raven rolled over, her arms wrapped around her body, murmuring something unintelligible in her sleep. Robin's heart gave a tremor, and he moved to sit by the couch. His legs folded, his back bent, and his neck taut, he gazed full into her face with his naked eyes for the first time. Her features were small and delicate, almost fragile. Her breath came evenly, the cool air flowing past her pale lips. He placed his hand as near as he dare, on the edge of the couch by her elbow. He knew that this sleep had come through meditation- she had been far too upset to sleep before- but he just couldn't touch her. He just couldn't.

"I won't let you die, Raven," he whispered to the sleeping girl. "I won't. I'll find a way."

_Beep beep beep beep!_

"What the-" Beastboy screeched and fell backwards off of the windowsill, his mouth the first thing to change back from his falcon form as electric currents stretched hostilely from the window . His one fang protruded out of his mouth, glittering in the mid-morning sunlight. Once he realized that he would slap the water like a rock on a sheet of diamond, he immediately morphed back into a falcon and flapped away to the roof.

"That means it works," Robin said proudly, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Beastboy bounced into the living room with a "Dude", and then mounted Cyborg's metal back with a single bound. The mechanical teen didn't seem pleased, as he immediately tried to knock the younger boy off of his back. As the two struggled, Robin consulted Starfire and Raven. "What do you think of the system? Effective enough?"

"If it is enough to chase Beastboy away, it is enough for anyone!" Starfire clapped joyously, floating and coming back down at intervals, her slender hands on Robin's shoulders. Robin glanced up at her with a slight smile, and then turned an expectant gaze on Raven.

The other girl hesitated. "It's great, Robin." She tried a confident look, but it turned into more of a grimace, and she gave up. Robin knew what she was trying to communicate, and he nodded in return. Starfire watched the exchange in confusion, and then moved to solicit Robin's attentions once more.

"Robin, Beastboy has said that the carnival is in town, and that he very much enjoys the pizza. Would you like to go out for the pizza?" Starfire's curious mode of speech never ceased to amuse him, and he nodded. Raven simply gave him a saddened look and walked back to the computer, closing the main screen of security details with a simple tap of a key. All of their hard work vanished, and so did she as she walked down the hall.

"Dude, what's up with Raven?" Beastboy, maintaining a dangerous position on Cyborg's back, peered at the green and red-clad teen. "She was all nice to me today; she didn't even snap at me when I showed her my tofu this morning."

"Please, is it the hormones?" Starfire looped her arms around Robin's neck from behind.

"She said that she… that she was just feeling sick." Robin didn't have the heart to tell them. It wasn't his secret; it was Raven's. If she chose to tell them, she chose to tell. If not, he had to bear the secret.

"Raven, sick? Not likely. She drinks enough tea to cure someone with tuberculosis." Cyborg raised his one eye to focus in on Robin. "I bet it's something else," he said, grinning mischievously.

"What- augh!" Beastboy fell forward over Cyborg's head, his green hair splaying across the floor.

"Do tell, Friend Cyborg!" Starfire released Robin and floated into the air, her arms waving.

"I think Raven's finally in love." Cyborg declared proudly, as if he had just proved the Pythagorean formula wrong.

This statement was followed by general sounds of disagreement by the other three. The metal boy stuck his lower lip out and huffed. "Hey, I know Raven, and she never acts like this. The only other time she did was when she was in love with that paper guy from her book."

"Like the Edward?" Starfire giggled. The three boys sighed; the alien girl had been in love with the _Twilight_ series for months now, gobbling down the books like candy.

"I don't think so." Robin turned his head away toward the hall where she had disappeared. "I'll go talk to her and see what's wrong today." He walked away down the hall before anyone could say nay. However, he did draw a mischievous look from Cyborg to Beastboy.

"Raven?" Robin knocked lightly on her door, like he had so many times over the past months. The hallway was silent, and he felt strangely alone in this tower that he had worked so hard to protect and make into a sign of peace and justice. The door before him seemed like a door into his soul, the wall between him and his best friend growing thicker with every second that she didn't answer. He knocked again. "Raven?"

No answer. He was getting worried.

_I don't want to, but I'm worried… she never ignores me._ "Raven, I don't want to do this, but I'm worried about you." His voice was getting more frantic by the second. "If you don't answer, I have to pick the lock to your door. I'm taking out my lock pick right now." And he was. Still no answer. This wasn't like Raven.

With a little well-placed jimmying, the door slid open into the gaping black of Raven's room. Adjusting his gaze from the bright morning to the grey and purple tones of Raven's room, Robin squinted as he moved through the door, saying softly, "Raven?"

His heavy booted feet made imprints on the dark carpet as he passed over it on his way into her room. Despite the worry in his head and the contortions of his heart, he couldn't help but gaze around curiously- it wasn't every day that one of the other Titans got to go into Raven's room. Robin had been in here before, but it was a hurried visit, and few details stuck. The walls were lined with cabinets and bookshelves, on which rested all sorts of gothic knickknacks. Here and there were random girly products, like a mirror or hairbrush; on the farthest wall, to the left of the bed, a huge mirror reflected the other half of the room that he couldn't see. A long carpet led him toward the bed.

"Raven?" He recalled his mission, his nerves once again grating. His voice was slightly frantic. _"Raven?"_

The silence pervaded to his very soul. He walked to the bed and peeked around the corner toward the window. Nothing. She definitely wasn't in here. However, the room still contained the essence of Raven's presence; she hadn't left here long ago.

The door _whooshed_ obediently shut behind him as he exited into the hallway, looking both ways like he was crossing a street. The mysterious girl in blue was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't hear her speaking; all he heard was the distant sound of Starfire laughing hysterically at one of Beastboy's not-quite-funny jokes. Not ready to face the other Titan's exuberance without finding Raven, Robin turned up the hallway toward the stairway to the roof.

Walking quickly up the stairwell, Robin soon reached the door. It stood ajar, proving Raven's presence here. He smiled softly, pushed it the rest of the way open, and exited onto the rooftop. The midmorning sun warmed his face and neck as he emerged onto the rooftop, his hip-length cape billowing behind him. He called once more. "Raven? What's wrong?"

Again, silence. He assumed she was meditating. He walked further across the roof, until he sighted a spot of blue at the far end. _Found her._ She was seated, her blue cape pooling behind her. She looked so peaceful; he hated to disturb her. So, he walked up next to her and just stood there for a moment, enjoying the silence. However, he couldn't stand to wait long.

"Raven?" He asked, not looking down. "I want to talk to you." He swallowed, and then continued. "I'm going to find a way. You won't die."

No answer. He turned. "Raven?"

She wasn't meditating. She was unconscious.

_"Raven!"_ He dropped to his knees.


	3. Save Me

Chapter 3

"_Raven_!" Despite the warm morning air around him, Robin's skin felt cold as he reached out to touch the fallen girl. Her face was extremely pale, like there was no blood beneath the skin. Her closed eyelids twitched once or twice, like she heard his call but was unable to respond. His hands fell on her shoulders and hand, trying to wake her. She didn't stir.

_It can't be happening. It can't be. Not yet!_ "You'll be alright, Raven," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. Robin wasn't a particularly strong individual, but he couldn't leave her out here while going to get Cyborg; sliding his arms beneath her, he lifted. She wasn't heavy, and rested easily in the curve of his arms. "It's going to be alright," he said, holding her tightly as he raced down the stairs. Never had he felt so close to the distant girl, with her breath coming softly in gasps through her dry lips, her hand folded against his chest.

Down the stairs, around the corner, through the hallway, and into another door went Robin as he took Raven to the infirmary. The nearest usable bed was ruffled from Beastboy's latest use (avian flu, he claimed, as he sneezed and became various birds), but he laid her on it and turned on the computer feed. A steady beep issued from the monitor, giving her heart rate and blood pressure. Robin looked at her one last time before hastening to the loudspeaker.

"Titans, to the infirmary!" His call issued throughout the Tower, stirring the other three Titans from the living room and bringing them galloping through the halls and toward him. He heard Cyborg and Beastboy's thundering footsteps and the telltale whistle of Starfire before he saw them. They came sliding into the infirmary to find Robin at Raven's side, his head in his hand.

"Dude!" Beastboy rushed to the other side of the bed, peering into Raven's still face. "Raven," he said, his normally obnoxiously cheerful personality dimmed in concern. His green face inches from Raven's, he said softly, "Raven?"

"What is the matter with Raven?" Starfire leaned in over her, worry in her green eyes. Cyborg said nothing, but stood at the foot of the bed, watching Raven's chest rise and fall gently.

Robin swallowed and answered generically. "She's… she told me that without a connection to Trigon, she's going to die."

"_Die_?" The look on Beastboy's face said what the other three were feeling. None of the other Titans could contemplate what Robin was going through. He felt like his heart was being rent in two, one half with Raven, the other with Starfire and the rest of the Titans. Oh, how he longed to hear Raven say that she was alright!

A silence ensued. Starfire was the first to break it, with a sob. Robin wrapped his arms around her, and she tilted her head onto his shoulder as her tears began to pour out her harder and faster.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Beastboy's voice cracked as he looked back down at Raven, his eyes glittering.

"We'll find a way." Robin released Starfire and faced his team. Even in their grief, they seemed strong. "There must be something we can do to bring Raven out of this."

"Raven has that mirror thingy," Beastboy said. "Can't we use that to get through to her somehow?"

"Even if she was conscious, Raven has a rough mind to get to," Cyborg said, his voice low. "Now that she's unconscious, I doubt it'd work."

"Even so, we have to try," Robin said determinedly, punching his fist into his other hand. "Where is that mirror, Beastboy?"

"Raven's room." Beastboy's voice was barely audible as he leaned down over the sleeping girl, daring to touch the back of her hand. "Are you sure we even have a chance? I mean, she's not even moving…" He was nearly hopeless.

"Cyborg, Beastboy, come with me. Starfire," he said, taking her hand in his, "stay with Raven in case she wakes up."

"No, I wish to come with you," she said, clasping his hand in both of hers. He pulled it loose, shaking his head.

"Raven needs someone here with her," he said, looking to the other two Titans. "Cyborg, Beastboy, and I can handle it. And we don't have much time." He approached the bed and leaned over his best friend one last time. "Raven, we'll save you. I promise." _And I never break my word._

"Come on, y'all," Cyborg said, headed for the door. Reluctantly, Beastboy and Robin followed.

"This is it," Beastboy said, lifting a gothic-looking mirror from a side table. Robin took it from him and gazed deep into it, seeing only a reflection of his own face.

"Are you sure?" He looked questioningly at the other two boys. They both nodded fearfully, huddling together.

"The last time, this ugly red hand sucked me in," Beastboy said shuddering. Cyborg nodded his agreement.

"Well, let's hope for the best," Robin said, tilting the mirror back and forth. It didn't react; all he saw was his own reflection and that of the dark room around him. He reached out and touched one green finger to the glass, wishing for a way in. Instantly, he heard a voice.

_"Save me."_

Darkness swirled around the three, and the mirror suddenly became their world. Robin was a little scared, but his thoughts revolved around one thing and one thing only. _"Robin, save me."_


	4. Dark Memories

.Chapter 4.

"Dude, this is not the same place." Beastboy peered up at Cyborg, his nose becoming that of a hawk as he morphed. His green wings soon reached the sky, but came plummeting back down. "There's no way out, dude. It's endless!" He clasped his head, his eyes a swirl of confusion.

The three boys stood in what appeared to be a huge purple pit, with a tiny distant opening which Beastboy had failed to reach opening to reveal red stars. All around them, black mouths of tunnels yawned into darkness. There were four of these openings, all of them identical. "Definitely not the same place," Cyborg agreed, his mouth flattening. "Last time, a path just popped up in front of us, and this time, we have to pick a tunnel!"

"If we split up, we'll find Raven faster," Robin said, gazing down a shaft. "I'll take this one-"

"No way, dude!" Beastboy became an octopus and grasped his friends in a slimy embrace, dragging them closer, to their consternation. He remained tacit, giving them a strange look through his white eyes.

"Beastboy, if we stay together, we could spend forever in here, with Raven out there," Robin said in irritation. He pushed at the tentacle around his waist as Cyborg wielded his sonic cannon. Beastboy's green face changed expressions, as much as an octopus could, and released them as his human form appeared once more.

"But dude!" He dropped his lower lip in a pleading expression.

"BB's right, Robin. You haven't been in here before… we have. It gets creepy." Cyborg shuddered as the shutters of his cannon closed once more and became his arm. "Let's stay together; we're sure to know if we take the wrong tunnel."

Robin looked peeved, but he surrendered.

"The only question that remains is what tunnel to take." Beastboy slapped one hand across his eyes and pointed wildly with the other. "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo." His gloved hand fell on a spot of solid rock wall, and Robin took off down the tunnel immediately in front of him. The other two followed, with Cyborg's shoulder-light illuminating the path.

For the most part, the tunnel was flat and smooth, without many rocks or potholes, as if someone had carved it. They walked for what seemed like hours to Robin, but was in actuality only fifteen minutes. Suddenly, Cyborg's light revealed nothing, and Robin leaned forward.

There was nothing beneath him. Nothing but yawning emptiness.

"Dude!" Beastboy's shape shifted into a massive snake and coiled around Robin's ankle. Cyborg grabbed his arm, and together, they yanked him upward.

"Bet you're glad we didn't split up now, eh?" Cyborg gave Robin his patent grin before peering over the edge. He whistled. "Whooee! That's a drop."

Robin, embarrassed, brushed himself off and turned around. "There's nothing this way, apparently."

"I wonder what was here?" The other two turned to face Beastboy as he peered morosely into the gap. "Did Raven lose a memory, or a piece of herself?"

Robin pondered. "Maybe it's because she fulfilled her destiny, and that part of her that bound her to Trigon is gone."

"That must be it." Cyborg flicked his lamp on and began to walk. "Come on, y'all; long walk back." They plodded across the floor of the tunnel until they reached their original chamber, where three other tunnels faced them.

"This is gonna take _forever_," Robin murmured, his fist clenching. "Raven doesn't have this much time."

Cyborg and Beastboy looked at him wearily, Beastboy's face drooping. Suddenly, Robin realized that this was just as hard on them as it was on him; it wasn't him alone trying to save Raven. They all were. Reaching out, he put a hand on either of their shoulders in support. "It'll be okay, guys. If we work together, we can save Raven."

"No, you're right, Robin. We need to split up. If we all take different tunnels, one of us is bound to be right; if we run into a cliff like last time, we'll just come back here and pick a different tunnel. Either way, we'll all be alright; one of us will wake Raven up, and she'll rescue the other two." Cyborg blinked resignedly at the other two Titans. "I'll take this one," he said, gesturing toward the entrance to his left.

Beastboy morphed into a cat and began moving toward a second tunnel. Robin took the third, removing a penlight from his belt. "Good luck, y'all," Cyborg said, moving off into the dark, a circle of light in the blackness.

Beastboy padded silently through the dark of his tunnel, wondering many things in his cat-mind. _Robin's so serious whenever it comes to Raven; what happened between the two of them? Did they get into an argument? Or does he…_ He didn't consider the end of that thought. _I know how I feel about Raven, but I don't know how he does. Or Cyborg._ He began to shy away from what he thought were shadows in the pitch black. There was no way there could be shadows back here, but he feared all the same.

Suddenly, the tunnel ended, and instead, he was on a great grey plain, like where he and Cyborg had been the last time he was inside Raven's mind. A cool wind swirled around him, shifting his fur and blowing grey dust from the ground into the air around him. For the first time, he felt… seriously alone. There were no animals around here; no Cyborg. No Robin. No Raven.

He morphed back into his human form with a stretching sound. "Raven?" He called, his voice faint and strained. No answer to be had except for the echo of his own voice. He began to walk along the path in front of him, looking to and fro with wide green eyes. Nothing but black sky but stars appeared. He kept walking, the road growing flatter and the wind growing colder. "Raven?"

_Heeheehee…_ He heard a distant echo of something that sounded like… like laughter. Well, more like Starfire laughter than anything, but laughter. He began to run, seeing in the distance a forest. A black forest, but at least it was life. "Raven?" He called again, turning his head. The trees around him were tall and shadowed, not at all cheerful like he usually found trees. Looking up, he saw something unusual.

Circles of images in the trees, like a gap in reality, showed images he recognized. Memories that they shared flashed among the branches. The birthday party that he'd orchestrated for Raven flashed by, through her eyes, in a window to his left; to his right, there was a depiction of him placing his good-luck penny in her hand. However, those were the only two circles with him in it that he could see.

The rest were scattered, but there was one common factor.

Robin.

Even among memories of herself and that strange attitude of hers, Robin remained in almost every memory, smiling or struggling. Beastboy's eyes grew wider as he saw what Robin was to Raven- a best friend and a dear support. She needed him more than anything. He hadn't understood that before. Now he did, and it… it hurt.

Suddenly, he heard a crackling. He whirled around. "Raven?"

Cyborg walked through the dark, his light flickering. "Why is this tunnel so long?" He murmured to himself, flattening his lips. It just kept going on and on, through the dark and the potholes that had appeared about fifty feet in. The walls were perfectly round, like someone had taken great care to keep them faultless- _probably all of Raven's meditating._ "Ah!" His toe caught in a hole, and he stumbled. When he raised his gaze again, he was out of the tunnel. The world was orange and red, lined with tall, beautiful towers, the ground beneath him a smooth road. It was bustling with people, all of them dressed in odd attire. Cloaks, rather in the style of Raven's, rustled around their shoulders, and many of them wore long white robes.

He stood, his eyes wide. He was completely out of place, but no one stared. No one even looked at him; no one cared. Flicking his lamp off, he reached out for the nearest person and asked, "Excuse me, do you know Raven?"

His hand passed through the person, as if she wasn't even there.

He gasped and drew his hand back, looking around. "This isn't a real place," he said, looking up. "I'm not actually here. This must be part of Raven's memories."

_Azarath…_ The word that Raven always said surfaced in his mind, and he connected the dots. "Raven was born here." _And so was Trigon._

The people seemed happy enough. Many of them smiled, talking to one another, carrying baskets and books. Azarath seemed like a place that was obsessed with knowledge, if he could judge anything from the sharp, intelligent gazes of the people around him. He walked with them, hoping to see the one thing here that he would recognize. "Raven?" He called, knowing that no one would hear him.

He passed under a gateway, and suddenly, the scenery around him changed. "Now where am I?" He sighed and tried to get his bearings for the second time in minutes. The metal teen was inside of a large room, filled with richly dressed people. Soft, melodious music was playing in the background on an instrument he didn't recognize as anything he knew. A great white chandelier hung overhead, lighting the room with a soft glow. The floor was white as well, and the crowd, of which he was a member, surrounded a large circle in the center. He made his way to the edge of the crowd- it was easy, since he could just pass through the group.

In the center of the circle, there stood a young man and a child dressed in a white cloak with dark hair and eyes. "Raven," he said softly.

The child turned toward him. "Who- who are you?" She looked mournful as the people gazed joyfully and lovingly at her.

"It's me," Cyborg said as he walked into the center of the room. "It's Cyborg. I'm your friend, remember?"

"No," she said, clinging to the man's hand. He didn't seem to notice as he gazed into the eyes of each member of the crowd. Her eyes held great fear, so Cyborg knelt.

"I just want to talk to you," he said as gently as he could. He realized how terrifying he was to a child who had never seen the likes of him. "I just want to be your friend."

"I don't want to be here," she whispered, her voice broken and sad.

He smiled and stood. "Well, let's go, then. Come with me." She released the man's hand and walked beside her new friend, looking up at him.

_Raven is… a child._ Cybog looked down at the girl in white garb as they walked. _I know how I feel about her, but… she doesn't know me. Who knows if she'll remember this if she wakes up? _The word _if_, even in his thoughts, terrified him.

He led her to a bridge, where they sat on the wall together. "Raven," he began, looking out across the bustling street. "Do you remember anything about four friends? On a place called Earth?"

"No," she said, fiddling with her cloak. "I mean, not in reality. I live here with the monks," she said.

"What do you mean, not in reality?" The boy was confused. He was speaking to a child; the only time he'd ever spoken this closely with someone younger was his little sister.

"I dreamt of another place, once. There was a big ocean, and a city, almost as big as Azarath." She looked up into the orange sky, a sky that was perpetually in twilight. "There was a tall girl in purple who kept hugging me, and a boy who could become anything he wanted, someone like…" She looked up at him then. "Someone like you, and a boy with black hair who wore a mask. We lived together, and for some reason, I felt… happy."


	5. A Call in the Dark

Voice Chapter 5

Robin was alone with his thoughts, a dangerous place to be, as he walked away down the gaping tunnel. The darkness swallowed him whole, enveloping his eyes and his heart before he clicked the penlight. He almost didn't want to- he didn't want to face himself and the fact that he was perhaps losing his mind. He was inside Raven's mind- a place he had never been allowed to go before. And inside Raven's mind, he was losing himself.

His foot caught on a crag. Drawing a deep breath and balancing himself by waving his arms, he flashed the tiny light at the protruding rock. It was the only one for hundreds of feet; something that had paved his way had missed this one detail. It was large enough to be a stalagmite. He turned and walked on, narrowing his eyes.

His mind wandered once more. _Has it really been so long since we met as the Titans?_ He wandered back through memory lane. _Starfire kissed me on the first day that I came to Jump City, and five days later, we joined together as the Titans. Everyone's changed a lot; grown up, matured a little. Starfire's English is almost convincing. _He smiled. _And Raven actually talks now._ He recalled his first casual conversation with Raven.

_"Hey, Raven,"_ he'd said over the counter. It was seven in the morning, and they were the only two up. _"Want anything?"_

The girl in blue had glanced up at him then, and he'd noted that her eyes were a deep indigo. She didn't speak for several seconds, just staring, but when he didn't retract what he said, she'd answered. _"Tea."_

_"What kind?"_ He'd reached down and fished out a box of green tea, holding it up before her.

_"Black," _she said softly, tossing back her hood. _"With nothing in it."_

_"Coming right up." _He'd grinned, and she'd stared incredulously.

He smiled, looking back on it. She'd changed so much; now, she actually voiced opinions and thoughts. At least, she did to Robin. A pang of urgency and pain throbbed; he realized how much he loved her company and would miss her if she were gone. She was the only one that made sense among his four best friends; she was his rational companion. Those moments in the dead city, as Trigon amassed strength, were the most poignant memories he had of life without her; it had been painful, right enough.

Suddenly, another sound echoed through the tunnel than that of his breathing. It began soft, but grew louder until he could distinguish words. _Why am I alive?_ The phrase repeated itself over and over again.

Raven.

"Raven!" He called as he began to run. His booted feet crashed on the floor, the echoes growing louder and louder as he ran faster. Suddenly, he emerged from the tunnel into a cavern. The ceiling was covered with a star field, as deep as forever and sparkling like gems. The chamber was huge; he could see no end to it, and no pillars supported the sky above. He could tell that it was closed because of the echoes, but it seemed so real. However, he wasn't focused on his surroundings.

Fifty feet away, there stood a blue figure. "Raven," he said softly.

She turned. Her face was shrouded in her cloak, but it was his Raven. The one he knew and treasured. Her eyes were dark and flat, with no reflection. She looked just like he'd last seen her- hopeless, despairing. Pity and sorrow filled him, and he approached her slowly. Her hands were pale- _well, they're always pale_- and trembling. However, it was her words that broke his heart.

"Why am I alive?"

He formulated an answer. He could voice his heart, or her could say what had been encouraging her the past two years. "To do good," he said, softening his expression. "To save lives."

"It's not good enough," she said, sinking to the ground, her cloak pooling around her like a shield. Her eyes were lowered, and all he could see was her lip, trembling, as if she were about to cry. "What have I ever done?"

He wasn't ready for that one. Who was? Who was ready to answer a girl who despaired? He knelt in front of her, his knees inches from her cloak's edge. He gazed straight into her face, her gaze lost from his. "Raven," he said, trying to engage her. "You're the most hopeful person I know. There's so many reasons you're alive, and you know them better than I do."

"You can't tell me, then." Her body became black, like her powers, and she vanished before his eyes.

"Raven!" He slammed his hands on the ground where she had been and lowered his head. _I'm so stupid! Why didn't I tell her something better?_ He shoved himself onto his feet, beginning to despair himself.

"Heehee," a familiar voice laughed behind him. He turned eagerly to see Starfire, standing there in her ordinary clothes, her crimson hair cascading around her shoulders.

"Star?" He walked toward her, gazing at her in confusion. "What are you doing here? You need to be with Raven."

"I came to be with you," she said, her green eyes boring into his. "I love you, Robin. Do you love me?"

He didn't answer, looking at her critically. No, this wasn't Starfire; this was a version of her that Raven had saved in her mind. "Not now, Starfire."

She stuck her lip out into a pout. "Is it because of Raven? Are you doing the cheating on me?" Her expression became one of hideous jealousy, and her eyes glowed dangerously. Robin winced and shielded himself for a barrage of punches or tiny starbolts, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes, and she was gone, and so was the room he had been in. Instead, he was in a huge blue hall, the smooth walls supported by decorative columns.

He walked. _Is that Raven's perception of my and Starfire's relationship? Is that what she thinks of me? And of Star? _He was ashamed of what he'd felt when he saw Starfire's face after hearing her laugh. Disappointment and contempt had filled him. She was his girlfriend! He was supposed to love her no matter what.

Something flashing on the wall to his left caught his attention, and he turned. It looked like a TV screen, an image flickering to life on the blue stone. He focused, and the image became clear.

It was him, and Starfire. They were holding hands, falling into that pit in the space station that had been destroyed. He was seeing it through Raven's eyes, through Raven's memories. However, soon, the image changed- when they arrived on the bridge once more, he didn't touch Starfire. The image moved toward him, and he saw pale arms loop around his own waist. He kissed Raven's forehead.

_These aren't her memories_, he thought with a blush. _But if they aren't memories, what are they?_

"Raven?" Beastboy turned in the forest, the pools of memory flickering in and out of visibility in the darkness around him. He peered into the darkness, but could see nothing; the trees created a heavy shadow. A flash of a figure appeared between the trunks, but he couldn't distinguish it. "Come out! Raven, it's me! Beastboy!" He morphed into his cutest cat and mewed.

"Aw, so _cute_!" Suddenly, strong hands looped around his ribcage and swung him up into the air, pressing him to the hands' owner's chest. With a cat blush, he realized that it was the pink Raven- Raven's happiness that he had met the last time he was here. He morphed into a human again, and the girl in pink looked miffed. "You were so cute!"

"Raven!" He was so happy to see her intact; he almost hugged her. "Why didn't you meet me at the beginning like you did last time?"

The girl laughed, but looked almost solemn. "Silly! You had to find your own way this time. Things are a little different here now, you see?"

"Yeah, I picked that up from the creepy woods." He made a ghosty movement with his fingers. "Why have things changed so much? I mean, you're still Raven, right? Not some creepy morphed alien from four-eye land?"

She laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Funny! Nah, I'm still me, But see, all of us have decided a few things." She pointed up to a circle in the air, depicting her last moments before becoming the portal for Trigon. Beastboy watched Robin take her hands, and then she slipped away to her destiny. Just watching it nearly made him upset with the memory. "Ever since that happened," Happy Raven continued, "I've been a little different. More independent. Less destiny-bound. Surely you've noticed it- I've seen you more often!" She giggled and ruffled his already-messy hair, running circles around him. "Before, you were all Angry's territory."

"Yeah, I'm ecstatic," he said, glancing up at her. "But help me out here! Your body's in trouble. How do I help you?"

She stopped running and put her hands on her hips. "That's not something I can answer easily. See… ever since Trigon disappeared from me, nothing's the same. No forbidden door to get you out anymore; you have to find your own way out." She waved into the air with one hand. "My mind separated into a bunch of different sections ever since- past, present, and future."

"Wait," Beastboy said, clutching his head with his hands. "Too complicated…"

"Hahaha!" Happy Raven wrapped her arms around her waist, laughing at the boy's expression. "I like you!" She wiped a tear of laughter from her eyes before continuing. "It is a little complicated, even for me. Well, I'll show you." She grabbed his arm. It reminded him with a pang of Terra.

Leading him out of the forest and to the edge of a cliff, she pointed downward. "That's something like the layout now."

Beastboy goggled. Before him, there was a flat plain with several different pockets- each one deep and black, with no determinable bottom. "What do they all mean?" They went on forever.

The girl looked up into the sky and counted off on her fingers. "One of them is decisions, another one is hopes, another is fears, one of them is ideas… it keeps going. I can't remember even half of them." She laughed again. "Oh well. The one you came through and ended up here is the memories tunnel. Figures that you'd end up there- you're a very memorable person, BB!"

"Robin and Cyborg are out there somewhere?" He said despondently.

"Yup!" She looked at him, her hood shifting around her head. Seeing his despair, she softened. "Well, lemme see what I can do. I think you need to talk to Knowledge… I think she hangs out in ideas, most of the time." She peered out across the pits with one hand across her brow like a salute. "I think it's the far one." Looping her arms under Beastboy's, she took off into the air, flying him across the grey plain.

Soon, they landed in a pit out of sight of the forest of memories they had left. It was slightly shallower than the one that he had tried to fly out earlier (the memory pit). Instead of four tunnels, there were at least six. He didn't bother to count them, as Happy Raven landed beside him and shouted, "Hey! _Knowledge! BB's here_!"

"BB?" Raven's voice echoed back from one of the tunnels, very clipped and articulate. "What does he want?"

"Our body's in trouble. He wants to help!" The girl in pink held her arms akimbo. Beastboy spent a minute peering down the dark tunnels before he saw a figure in yellow approaching from a passageway that he hadn't bothered to look down, carrying a candle and a book. Heavy glasses wore on her face, but other than that, she was a carbon copy of the Raven that he knew. She peered at him, her eyebrows pressed together.

"Are you sure he can help?" She sniffed disdainfully, and Beastboy felt both insulted and inferior at the same time. "I'd trust someone… smarter."

"Hey, Raven! I saved your butt a lot of times!" _Now I remember why she annoys me._ He tried to shove his sleeve up his arm, but failed and simply sucked in air through his nose like a bull. Happy Raven shoved him down, smiling broadly at Knowledge.

"Don't underestimate him, Knowledge!" Happy Raven smiled cheekily. "Besides, Robin is in here somewhere. I think he's probably in the future part of the memories tunnel- wishes, isn't it?"

"Yes." Knowledge shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I should send one of us to get him."  
"Cyborg's here, too," Happy said, and Knowledge lit up. Apparently, she liked him. "He's in the past part of the memories tunnels."

"I'll send Brave to find him," Knowledge said, opening her book. "I think that Timid won't mind going to Wishes and finding Robin."

"Aye, aye!" Beastboy and Happy saluted at the same time, and they laughed at each other, to Knowledge's irritation. The brainy girl in yellow murmured something in her own language, and two figures dropped from the sky to the ground.

"What's up?" Brave, a cheeky girl in green, chatted briskly to Beastboy, who gave her an instant high-five. Timid bit her lip and remained silent, looking to Knowledge. She explained the situation to the two. "Can you go find them?"

"My pleasure!" Brave grinned and flicked her hair out of the way, saluting to the other four people before taking off into the black sky once more. Timid sniffled before sinking into the floor with a protest.

"It shouldn't take them too long," Knowledge said, seating herself in the air. "After all, a person's mind isn't too big."

_Why do I love you, Raven?_ Beastboy looked from one personality to the other, answering the question for himself.


	6. Rescue

Chapter 6

_Happy?_ Instantly, Cyborg thought of the familiar pink hood and shuddered at Raven's happy side. But as he watched this delicate child in white, he saw more and more of the Raven that the girl he knew tried to hide from them- the Raven that could _feel._ _I wonder what Raven would have been like if she was born like any other person? If she didn't have to fight with the darkness inside her?_ Cyborg wasn't exactly eloquent, but he was pleased with his philosopher-like thoughts.

He laid his heavy hand on Raven's tiny shoulder as delicately as he could. "Raven… you said you were happy with us. You can be happy with us; you are happy with us."

She looked up at him with wondering eyes. "I don't really know what it means… to be happy like that."

_What child should suffer this?_ Cyborg really hadn't the faintest clue of what it was to be truly alone; since the moment he was born, boisterous, laughing, cheerful people, who always made him feel like he was part of their world, had surrounded him. And with the Titans, he… he felt like he belonged. He really couldn't tell Raven what it was to be happy; it was a status quo for him. But still, for her sake, he tried.

"Well, it's kinda like… you feel warm inside, and then bursting, like you just have to smile and laugh at any given opportunity. Like there's no way you can be sad." He ended lamely, unused to explaining things in children's terms. It was hard enough to get things across to Beastboy, let alone such a small child.

Raven nodded and looked back across the golden city, her thoughts faraway. Watching her, he wished he could help somehow, someway; she was his dear friend, and it seemed like he was letting her slip away.

"Do you want to come with me, Raven?" He knelt down to her level, his metal knees squeaking as he lowered himself. She turned then, her short sleek hair brushing her pale cheeks. She looked like the same girl he knew, only smaller and more timid. The people that passed above and below noticed her; they bowed, waved, or smiled at her. _These people love her,_ he thought, _despite knowing what she was gonna do._

Her eyes fixed on him, Raven asked in a small voice, "Where will we go?"

He tried to be reassuring. "I'm going to take you with me so that we can do some things together. Who knows? It might help you in the future." Cyborg was pleased with himself; he was being very poetic around young Raven.

She bit her lower lip. "What if we get lost?"

He shook his head and tried to soften the red glare from his fake eye. "I don't get lost easily. Don't you worry about getting lost."

With his rough reassurance in her ears, she placed her hand in his. It looked small, pale, and fragile within his huge metal palm. Smiling, he swung her up onto his broad shoulders as gently as he could. She was light and graceful, which made his job easier. With the young girl in white on his shoulders and a lighter feeling in his heart, Cyborg set out across the city of Azarath, perhaps searching for a way out.

"Robin!" Raven's voice cried out from around the corner, and Robin's heart leapt. He raced down the blue hall, desperately searching for the source of the call.. Although he knew he probably wouldn't find the real Raven here, he still hoped. However, all he found were more and more of the pictures of Raven's past and future, flickering into life as he passed them. The great columns grew taller and more imposing as the roof of the corridor rose, finally disappearing into the darkness far above.

"Raven!" Robin finally slid to a stop in front of another picture, his lungs pumping for air, his goal still unrealized. He called out in a gasp, still searching the hall for any sign of the girl he'd come to save. None showed except for these images on the walls that pained his heart so greatly.

"Robin!" He heard the call once more, but this time, it was immediate and apparent. To his left, a huge screen displayed an image that broke his heart.

He was seeing his first kiss with Starfire through Raven's eyes, and there was a mist of tears in them.

"_Raven,"_ he whispered, his heart full as he sank to his knees. Confusion consumed him- confusion and regret. The confusion came from this newly revealed knowledge of Raven's feelings for him, and the regret rose from the way he had treated her since he and Starfire had engaged in a relationship. He knew that Raven had been withdrawing recently, but he attributed it to her personality; she had been softer than usual, but he credited that to growing up. He couldn't have guessed how much his relationship with Star hurt Raven.

"You shouldn't be here," a voice said from behind him. He turned his head, gazing up into the sad eyes of none other than Raven herself.

"Raven" was all he could say before he jumped to his feet and encircled her grey figure in a tight embrace, his hands pulling her close to him, one buried in her hair and the other around her waist. Her face was pressed into his shoulder, and he felt as if he couldn't ever let her go.

However, he had to as the girl in grey slipped from his grasp in a stream of black power. She solidified in front of him, her eyes sad but resolute. Needless to say, he was confused than ever.

"Raven, it's me. Robin." After seeing all these images, he couldn't imagine that she wouldn't want to be near him. Her reticence hurt him. He reached out a hand, but she shied away. "Why won't you let me near you…? I'm here to help you."

She was hesitant to speak. "Knowledge sent me to get you… but I don't think we'll get out." She lowered her eyes and let her cloak surround her body, hiding her hands and arms. "I could show you the way, but you wouldn't like me at the end. You never really liked me anyway, did you?"

"Of course I like you, Raven," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Knowledge sent… what knowledge?"

"Follow me," she said, float off down the hall into the darkness ahead. "The Hall of Wishes is dangerous… even we don't come here very often. It hurts."

"Hall of Wishes…?" _These are Raven's wishes?_ "Raven…"

But she didn't respond. Instead, she walked softly ahead of him, always out of reach. _What have I done? Why is she so timid? This isn't like Raven at all._ He looked around as they walked further and further into the hall. The images changed, becoming darker and more complex: images of Raven studying dozens of complicated symbols and words that he couldn't understand, of Raven saving a man by herself, of Raven being _kind_ to Beastboy and Cyborg. _Maybe these are what Raven secretly wants…?_ Robin almost laughed at himself. _This is crazy. I shouldn't be looking at something so private to Raven._

But he couldn't stop himself. He found himself looking for more pictures of himself, of Raven's desire to be with him- but none appeared. Apparently, the corridor thought that he had seen enough. Raven didn't speak; she just kept walking silently, her arms wrapped around herself.

Suddenly, Robin ran into her. "Sorry," he said, coming up beside her. "Raven?"

"It's gone," she whispered. "The seal. It's been erased, forgotten."

"The seal?" Suddenly, Robin's hushed question was swallowed by a horrific rending sound. Smoky orange light filled the darkness, and Robin instinctively withdrew his bo staff, ready to defend Raven. But it wasn't your average enemy crawling out of a hole.

Gusts of air began blowing through the tunnel, raking at his hair and eyes. Dimly, in the orange haze, the young man thought he could make out the undefined shape of the horrific fiery ghosts that he and Slade had defeated in the bowels of the earth, once again rising from within it. "Stand back, Raven," he said, twirling the metal staff deftly as it expanded. "Do you know the seal? Can you make it again?"  
"I- I don't know," she said weakly, her hands clasped before her breast. "I-I can try…"

"Then try!" He gave her a brave smile before lashing out at a ghost. It gave a horrendous screech, like a nail on a chalkboard, before dissipating beneath his blow. More poured out every second, and Robin leaped to action.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," the grey girl said softly as she drew a circle in the air with two fingers, tracing invisible characters. The lines she traced began to glow, softly at first, and then as bright as a fire. A complicated pattern appeared in the center of the circle where she stood, her feet placed exactly right. A sudden magewind leaped up, blowing her cape behind her, revealing her pale legs and waist. Even as Robin fought, he marveled at her skill.

"Inubriel, Merenith, Yaisei," she said, the words unfamiliar to Robin's ears. With the new incantation, the circle glowed even more vibrantly, and a faint veil of haze floating upward appeared from the edge. Raven began to dissipate, and she called as loudly as she could (which wasn't very loud) to Robin, "It's ready!"

Robin, meanwhile, had been in a griplock across his bo staff with a grimacing monster. Many had evaporated into thin air at his behest, but more poured from the abyss every second, creating a virtually endless army. Relinquishing was his only option. Surrendering his bo staff to the frustrated ghoul, he made a flying leap for the cylinder of light and wherever it led, simply following the leader that he believed Raven to be.

It seemed to Robin at the time that the world that pressed in around him was hot, cold, full, and empty all at once. Even though it was black, he felt that his eyes couldn't bear it any longer; he shut them tight and just wished for it to be over. Memories that he preferred to shut out began to return to him, as if this portal were an inducer for bad memories. One in particular stood out.

_"Why do you always hold me back?" He was young, impetuous, and angry with his master and guardian, Bruce. The big man in black looked harshly down on him, his black eyebrows furrowed. He looked back with equal ferocity. "Why do you always restrain me from being the best I could be?"_

_"What are you saying, Matthew*?" Bruce folded his arms and didn't blink for a second. "Perhaps you should just think back…"_

_"Because my parents died because of you? Because I live with you and should be _grateful_?" He spat out the last word. "I'm sick of you bossing me around."  
A clout to the head sent him spinning. He tried to steady his vision as he heard the cool words from the man above him._

_"Listen, _Robin._ There's no way you can be all you could be without me; I'm only doing what's best for you. And if your head remains this thick forever, you'll never be anything. You may have to learn that lesson the hard way sometimes." Although the words were full of threat, they also had a soft, fatherly quality. But Robin's anger swallowed him, and he remained silent until he heard the whoosh of the door._

_Bruce never quite forgave me for that instance,_ he thought as he felt the anger and injustice rise up in him again. Physical pain, not just emotional, swallowed him, and he cried out into the silence. He suddenly found himself gasping for air, reaching out with both arms, desperate for a way out of this hell he'd sentenced himself to by following Raven into a portal of what looked like light.

Just when all hope had gone, a hand slipped into his grasp, slender and gentle. A voice, cool as the morning breeze. _"Robin."_

"How well do you know this city, Raven?" Cyborg tugged on the little girl's ankle playfully as he rounded a corner, now accustomed to people not taking notice of him. It almost felt good to be invisible; he was alone with Raven, even if she was just a child.

She looked down at him past indigo locks. "Pretty well," she replied. "I was born here, and I've been almost everywhere." She pointed at a small doorway across the street. "That's where Seouru works; he's a gem-maker." At his quizzical look, she elaborated. "Seouru is the only non-monk that's allowed to touch me. Except you." The look on her face was almost a smile, and Cyborg took this opportunity to grin.

"Well, hopefully soon, I'll get to introduce you to a few more people that just love you." He kept walking, his heavy feet slapping on the pavement. "What's outside the city?"  
"Nothing." Her solemn tone drew his gaze.

"Nothing?" His inquisitive tone begged for explanation.

She swallowed and looked as if she were hesitant to answer. "Azarath… floats above some other worlds. It's perpetually in this cloud of twilight, the safest place for our people. If you walk off the edge…" She shuddered. "Well, you don't want to."

"I see." A short pause. "Hey, Raven- do you know if there's a way out of here? Back to another world?"  
She didn't answer. "Raven?" Again, no answer, so he looked up at her.

She was looking straight down into his eyes, her dark blue irises wide with fear. "What's wrong, Raven?" He was alarmed. If she was scared, he certainly should be. "I know there has to be a way out."  
"I can't leave." She jumped off of his shoulders and raced off down the street. Her white cape billowed behind her like a white cloud.

"Raven!" He sighed, called, and raced after her. The orange buildings flew by him in a blur. _She's so fast!_ He began to pant as he raced faster and faster, just to keep up with the young girl. Soon, she was out of sight, and he bent over, his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He couldn't lose her now; she was everything. What was so the matter with leaving? What was wrong?

"Raven!" He called, walking now. There were fewer people in this part of town- not that it mattered. The buildings got taller and taller as he kept walking, and the cloud of orange became thicker and thicker until the whole world seemed to scald his one human eye with its fiery hue. Squinting, he peered between buildings and down side streets, calling. "Raven!"

No answer- not that he expected one. Suddenly, he emerged from an alleyway into ruins. He looked back in shock to see that the tall buildings ended behind him, leaving this one section of the city a barren, rocky wasteland. Even the road was broken. To the right and left, there were squares and rectangles of bricks, with debris scattered here and there, like the broken remains of a window or a door. It didn't take much brain power to figure out that this must have been a cursed place to the residents of Azarath- there wasn't a soul in sight.

Cyborg kept walking, but there wasn't far to go- the road ended abruptly, dropping off out of sight before three hundred feet had passed. He approached the end of the road, curiosity filling him. Peering over, he received the biggest shock of his eighteen years.

Nothing. There was nothing but orange and swirling black beneath him.

"What is this city?" He exclaimed, stumbling backward. He heard a sniffle and whirled to see Raven, her small white body straight, with her head being the only variance in color.

"It's Azarath." She was almost whispering. "_The All._ That's what the name means- _Azarath_."

_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,_ he mused, looking down at the childhood form of the girl that he knew. _The all…_ He knelt, banishing the confusing thoughts from his mind until he saw the real Raven again. "Raven, please. I need to go from here. Trust me; it's for your good." He didn't want to hurt her or confuse her. "Is there a way out?"

She nodded meekly. "I can get you out." She didn't elaborate, but shivered, looking around at the ruins.

He stood and looked around, peering around the huge sand-colored stones. "What is this place?"

"This is where the original monks of Azarath bound…" She swallowed and couldn't continue.

"Trigon?" He said softly and looked down at her. Her face had blanched, if it was possible for it to get paler. He knelt again and took her hands in his. "I know all about your birth; it doesn't matter to me. To me, you're just Raven. Not a portal, and not Trigon's corrupt gem." He wasn't exactly good with children; he struggled on to find more reassuring words. "You're just Raven."

"Do you promise?" She bit her lip, as if struggling against tears, and looked into his eyes. Suddenly, he felt ready to collapse and cry himself. This was so hard on him- hard on all of them. Even a year later, they were still working out the cruel details of Raven's past.

"I promise." He smiled at Raven once more, and then asked hesitantly, "Can you show me the way out so that I can help you?"

"Here." She touched the gem on her forehead, and then made five swift swipes with her middle and forefinger through the air. White trails of power followed her movements, and suddenly, there was a circle in the air. Through it, Cyborg could see nothing, but he knew that Raven wouldn't lie to him. He held out a hand, and she took it faithfully.

"I promise I'll help you any way I can," he told her. "I won't leave you, and we'll be friends forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Suddenly, young Raven vanished. She seemed to slip inside of him, along with the scenery. He was standing on a flat white plain, completely lost.

"Cyborg!" A green flash flew out of the tunnel and slammed into him, knocking him head over heels backward. With an _oof,_ he exhaled and tried to right himself. Suddenly, he found himself gazing into a pair of deep indigo pools, framed by a forest green hood.

"Brave Raven!" He sighed in both relief and anxiety, not sure if he was ready to face one of Raven's boisterous personalities. He'd have to, since she would have to be his way out. "What's going on?"  
She huffed. "You can just call me Brave if you want." Immediately, she righted herself, straddling his metal chest. "And it's really good to see you! You completed the Azarath past- that's what this is! Good job! High fives!" She held out a slender hand, and he gave it a non-committal slap. She grinned.

"What do you mean, completed?" He peered at her, trying to push her off without… well, pushing her. "Isn't that your- er, Raven's past?"

She got the hint and slipped off his chest, standing. Cyborg sat up, rubbing his arms. "Well, yeah," she said, pursing her lips. "The rules kinda confuse me, too. But what you did was exactly what was supposed to happen- it completed the memory, and now you're here, in this… completed memory place!" She grinned as she finished lamely. Cyborg's blank stare must have told her that it wasn't good enough. She sighed and yanked him powerfully to his feet- an amazing feat, since he was a good half-foot taller than she was. "Come on- I've got to take you back to Knowledge. She's gonna get all of this ironed out."

"Knowledge?" He scratched his temple. _Young Raven was a lot easier to deal with…_


End file.
